On September 25, 2024, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR), H.R. 9747, to maintain federal funding through December 20, 2024, which the Senate passed shortly thereafter. None of the 12 fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations bills have been enacted thus far, requiring Congress to pass a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. The CR includes several expiring health provisions including a reporting delay of the Medicare clinical laboratory test payment reductions and reporting requirements, funding for ongoing implementation of the No Surprises Act, and an extension of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) pediatric priority review voucher (PVR) program. 

The House passed the CR by a vote of 341-82, and the Senate advanced the CR by a vote of 78-18. Both bodies have now departed Washington and are set to return on November 12th following the election, setting up deliberations on a potential end-of-the-year spending package.  

The text of the CR is available here.

Impact on General Dentistry: Passage of the CR prevented a government shutdown, which would have caused widespread harm, particularly for agencies and programs that depend on discretionary funding through annual appropriations. AGD will continue to advocate for the inclusion of the opioid prevention, recovery, and treatment bill, the SUPPORT Act, in a potential omnibus bill in December.